This is something of an impulse post. I have had an epiphany. By the side of my bed is a book I am thoroughly enjoying (The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester). On the Freeview box is a recording of last night’s episode of Whitechapel and at least two Wallanders that I am desperate to watch. The dog hair needs scraping off the stairs, I have loads of admin to get done and my roots need touching up.

So why am I playing Bejeweled Blitz? And why are a fair few of my blogging colleagues doing the same? Facebook has offered us a tool to enable us to avoid all forms of useful endeavour and we can’t get enough of it. There is a competition going on to see who can get to the top of the leaderboard and in the space of ten minutes I have gone down four places. I have just realised I cannot win. My laptop is too slow. But just one more try, after all each round is only a minute long – what harm could it do…? And then every Tuesday the board is wiped clean and you start all over again….

I have come to the realisation that the games available on Facebook are the work of some fiend who wants to prevent the obviously intelligent people I can see on the board getting anything useful done at all. There are writers, bloggers, parents, students – frankly we should all know better. What is it about a game where you get little jewels to match and go bang that is so addictive?

I know some people who are rather snooty about Bejeweled Blitz. But then I find that I have been offered the chance to grab a Mystery Egg or adopt a lonely bull or some such irresistible Farmville offering from those very people. I too was once addicted to that game, but now my fields lie fallow and my animals unmilked as I desperately try to earn enough coins to get a boost.

For anyone who has not yet enjoyed the delights of these mini games and would throw their hands up in horror at the thought, can you honestly say you have never started playing Solitaire on your PC in a moment of boredom, writers block or in the face of the washing up? Just one more hand and you KNOW that this time you will get the pack out. And then you look at the clock and it is 1.30 am and you have work in the morning….

With NaNoWriMo coming up I cannot afford to spend even a moment on a Facebook game or my word count will gradually fall further behind as I drop further down the score chart.

So how do I battle this addiction? Is anyone out there in recovery and can offer some small word of support? Are there other games that grip you so mercilessly or is it just the exploding jewels? I can already feel the pull of the little bookmark on my Facebook page as I write this, and it is almost stronger than my desire for a large bar of chocolate or a bottle of Crabbies alcoholic ginger beer.

As Oscar Wilde once said ‘I can resist anything except temptation’. Thank goodness for us he didn’t have Bejeweled Blitz to distract him.

I was only thinking today how much more I would get done if I didn’t keep ‘popping’ in to Twitter….forums with scandal going on…..Facebook, where I’ve been known to stay up virtually all night playing BBlitz!! I also like word twist. 😉

Don’t know how I managed to get such high points on Bejeweled Blitz. Went on and thought I was on my account, but was on Hannah’s. Got her good points, then struggled to beat her, then – my points just soared – no idea how it happened, but looks like the two of us will beat you this week, Sue.